Fantasy
1/3/24
5 min read
2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football: Early Rookie Draft Quarterback Rankings
Hopefully, you won your dynasty championships, or at least most of them. So it’s time to shift focus to one of the most critical times in dynasty fantasy football: rookie draft season.
In the next few weeks, we will provide early rookie rankings and analysis at each position and a cumulative ranking of all positions.
You've come to the right place if you are looking to get a head-start on your league mates.
Early 2024 Dynasty Rookie QB Rankings
1. Caleb Williams, USC 
Age: 22
Recruiting Stars: 5
2023 Passing Stats: 3,633 yards, 68.8 completion percentage, 30 TDs, 5 INTs
When we’ve known a prospect will be the future top pick for a couple of years, prospect fatigue takes place. We’re here to tell you Caleb Williams deserves to be the No. 1 overall pick.
That goes for the NFL draft and your fantasy football rookie drafts.
His prospect profile is so strong he could join Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, Kyler Murray and Joe Burrow as the only quarterback prospects to achieve League Winner status. Those four combined averaged 22.1 fantasy points per game in their rookie seasons. Don’t let prospect fatigue make you miss out on Williams as the 1.01 in fantasy rookie drafts.
2. Drake Maye, North Carolina 
Age: 21 (will be 22 before first season)
Recruiting Stars: 4
2023 Passing Stats: 3,608 yards, 63.3 completion percentage, 24 TDs, 9 INTs
There’s a chance Drake Maye gets overlooked because of how exciting this quarterback class is, but you shouldn’t overlook him at all.
First, he’s a Konami rusher, which has only happened for seven quarterback prospects drafted in the top three (where Maye is projected to go). The seven Konami-level quarterback prospects before him have averaged 19.1 fantasy points per game.
Plus, Maye has never posted less than 9.0 adjusted yards per passing attempt in his eligible seasons. That and his rushing ability show how elite he is.
The fact that he's in the conversation for the No. 1 pick against one of the best quarterback prospects we’ve ever seen should tell you everything you need to know about Maye’s upside.
3. Jayden Daniels, LSU 
Age: 23
Recruiting Stars: 4
2023 Passing Stats: 3,812 yards, 72.2 completion percentage, 40 TDs, 4 INTs
Jayden Daniels’ 2023 Heisman season was historic. Assuming he’s a first-round pick, he’ll join Lamar Jackson as the only first-round quarterback to post at least a 45-point-per-game collegiate season.
Daniels would also be the only first-round quarterback with at least a 40 percent rushing yard market share and 12.0 adjusted yards per attempt or higher. Essentially, Daniels posted one of the best collegiate seasons we’ve ever seen from a top pick.
More importantly, he has a historic quarterback rushing profile that will get premium draft capital. From a fantasy football perspective, QB3 might be too low for Daniels.
4. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan 
Age: 20 (will be 21 before first season)
Recruiting Stars: 4
2023 Passing Stats: 2,851 yards, 73.2 completion percentage, 22 TDs, 4 INTs
Of our top six quarterback prospects, J.J. McCarthy is the only one who hasn’t declared or run out of college eligibility.
On top of that, McCarthy is the youngest quarterback to have a draft projection in the top three rounds of this coming draft class. Despite his youth, McCarthy has a solid passing profile. He had 9.1 adjusted yards per attempt in his 19-year-old season and 10.6 adjusted yards per attempt in his 20-year-old season, with the National Championship still awaiting.
If he declares and gets drafted in the first round, he would be one of just 13 quarterbacks to have at least 10.0 adjusted yards per attempt in their 20-year-old season.
McCarthy doesn’t have a perfect prospect profile, but it’s not as if he lacks upside as a pro-level passer.
5. Michael Penix Jr., Washington 
Age: 23 (will be 24 before first season)
Recruiting Stars: 3
2023 Passing Stats: 4,648 yards, 66.7 completion percentage, 35 TDs, 9 INTs
Michael Penix Jr. was excellent this season. His 9.8 adjusted yards per attempt and 9.2 yards per attempt have helped him on his way to the National Championship game.
However, if he is drafted in the first round — which seems likely — he will join Ryan Tannehill and Kenny Pickett as the only first-round quarterbacks to have played their 23-year-old seasons in college.
Penix Jr. has never rushed for even a five percent rushing yard market share, which puts his floor much lower than you’d want a first-round quarterback prospect to have.
6. Bo Nix, Oregon 
Age: 23 (will be 24 before first season)
Recruiting Stars: 4
2023 Passing Stats: 4,508 yards, 77.4 completion percentage, 45 TDs, 3 INTs
Like Penix Jr., if Bo Nix is drafted in the first round, he would be one of few quarterbacks to get drafted that high despite playing their 23-year-old season in college.
While his passing profile isn’t quite up to the caliber of Penix Jr.'s, Nix’s rushing profile provides a much higher floor. He had a 14.5 percent average rushing yard share across his collegiate career.
That includes a 20-year-old season at Auburn, where he rushed for more than 20 percent of the team’s rushing yards. Nix doesn’t have the best-looking profile, but if he lands in a good situation, there is plenty to like from a fantasy perspective.
